Savage Lies (Hidden Valley Elite Book 1) by Isla Vaughn – Review by Donya Pedigo

Savage Lies: A High School Bully Romance by Isla Vaughn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How can you crave someone so deeply and loathe them at the same time? This is what Riley and Cole are trying to figure out as their battle of wits encounters many ups and downs for each.

I devoured the prequel, Savage Start, where we first met Riley, the quick thinker who has grown up helping her mom with numerous cons, and Cole, one of the ELITES of Hidden Valley. It isn’t a necessity to read the prequel, but I would highly suggest it as it’s an enjoyable read that made me see a softer side of Cole than the one we see now. It also lets you in on the backstory of why there is so much tension and heat between the two. This book alludes to it but doesn’t go into specifics.

Savage Lies picks up one year after the prequel (Savage Start) when Riley moves back to the town of Santa Monica that Cole lives in. Cole isn’t your typical good-looking jock though he pretends to be, all he is trying to do is take care of his brother and cousins while evading his father until he can escape to college next year, but Riley and her mom throw a wedge into his plans. It’s barely been a year since Cole’s mom passed away, now his father has already moved on, which upsets Damon (Cole’s brother) and Cole tremendously. The tension continues to build as Cole takes part of his frustration out on Riley, though she doesn’t back down, proving that he might just have met his match. Be aware, this book ends on a cliffhanger that has me counting the days until Savage Truth comes out on April 27th, 2023.

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